Building a Best Practices Foundation to Enhance Community Impact

The Elmezzi Foundation, a family foundation dedicated to providing assistance to individuals who, due to either environment or circumstance, have not had the ability to live independent and productive lives, is in a period of focused reflection. In trying to solidify their footprint on the communities they serve, Elmezzi requested a Capstone team to strengthen internal systems and procedures, and tailor grant operations based on best practices in the field. In collaboration with Elmezzi staff, a select sample of grantees and several similar small foundations, the Capstone team embarked on a comprehensive process of identifying current best practices and reporting mechanisms and systems. The team provided recommendations and applicable tools to guide Elmezzi’s organizational decision-making and continued internal assessment for creating durable impact and refined purpose in the community.